Lower ImagiNation
by actresspdx
Summary: Starts at the beginning of the third Novel in the Jack Blank series, then goes back in time to Stormy/Matilda and her sister Hepburn's arrival to the Imagine Nation. Hauled from their home, Stormy and her sister learned that their parents where citizens of another nation. With being deported to a new land comes powers. Storm must accept who she really is if she is to find family


The streets of Lowtown are dark and poorly lit. The dull buildings reside in the shadows of the greater and wealthier neighborhoods surrounding them. The people who live there have no choice, as they hold little standing in the world. Just about every one there has stories about family members that they lost during the Rustov invasions. With the poverty of the small sector rising, so does the crime rate. The little place pumped out more super criminals than just about every other borough. It also held the nations best prisons. The people there held their own, being accepting of people from all over the universe. The truth was, they really couldn't care less where you came from. The regular, descent people protected their own, and the super villains were generally smart enough not to go mess with the other people in the borough. Generally.

* * *

"Sike? You see that lady?" said one shadow to the other.

"Who, the one over there?" said Sike, pointing to the girl preoccupied with her phone.

"Yeah. Looks like an easy enough target. We can snag some credits off her, and maybe get some smokes on the way home"

"I don't know, Grub. She looks a bit dark. She looks sort of villainy-ish" worried Sike

"Quit worrying. And villainy-ish isn't even a word. She's just one skinny little girl. What can she do?" snapped Grub, as they stalked towards the unsuspecting girl.

* * *

A few minutes later, Sike and Grub floated in mid air, and the _helpless, skinny girl_ stood in between them with her arms raised above her head. She smirked at them, laughing quietly as she watched their terror grow with every second.

"Don't you two know better than to sneak up on a gal listing to her music? In THIS neighborhood?" she said sarcastically.

"Ma'am, we didn't mean no disrespect, honest-"started Grub.

"Please , spare me the begging. It just irritates me." she snapped, bobbing her hands up and down. Both men started jerking up and down, then fell to the ground with a good deal of force. They both promptly passed out.

The girl stood by them, texting on her phone until she heard a craft pull up on the street.

"Stormy! What the heck happened here?" Said the man that stepped out of the police craft.

"These two fools thought that they could just sneak up and try to mug me! Honestly, they did start it. Did you bring Hepburn?" she said "and don't call me Stormy, Rex!" she added.

Chuckling, he took out his cuffs, locking them around the to groggy men on the ground. "Yes, Hepburn is in the cruiser. You are lucky that your sister is so good hearted, or you would have a very irritated young lady on your hands." He lifted the fools to their feet, and pushed them into the back of the police craft. "Stormy, if I didn't know better, I would say you go looking for this kind of scum."

"Shut it, REXERON. It is their fault for going after a Lady on their own. Karma clearly decided it was their turn." She said smugly, and with that, opened the door to the car. Rex and Matilda hopped into the hover craft, and were greeted by the soft snores of a tired twelve year old. The small girl was curled up in a tight ball, with her auburn hair tucked behind one ear, and her legs tucked into her black and white spotted dress. Matilda's grim frown melted into a smile, as Rex looked on in silence.

"God, I can't even remember being that... pure." sighed Matilda.

Rex patted her arm as she buckled into the craft. "She's just really tired. I had her practicing her powers every time she said _like, um, or I don't know_." He said.

Matilda started laughing, them forced herself to quiet down to a giggle. "Well, that is one way to improve her language skills." she sobered up, then turned to Rex. "Rex... I home you know how much I appreciate you helping Hepburn."

"Of course Matilda! It is a pleasure to help her." Rex said, looking to Matilda.

"No, really, Rex. If it wasn't for you, she would be like me. No real training, no real control. All instinct." she said, looking down.

"You do pretty good for a late bloomer, Matilda. What you did tonight proved that." Rex said, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Rex, I came to this place when I was _sixteen_. I didn't even know I _had_ powers. Hepburn was only nine. She has a future, what ever she does with those powers. All any one see's in me is the worlds next Eric Harris or Victor Von Doom." she said, breaking down slightly.

Rex looked to Matilda, and was worried when he saw her tears. With a swift jerk, he pulled over to the side of the street.

"Matilda, look at me. Really look at me." She looked over at him, Her mascara running rivers down her cheeks. "If I thought that you that you presented a real danger to Imagine Nation, would we be talking right now? Would the High Council have let you keep Hepburn?" he said calmly as he handed her a tissue.

"No."

"Exactly. Now clean yourself up, relax, and believe me when i tell you that your not evil, and any one who says you are are clearly taking a substance that i could arrest them for" He said with a smile, as he pulled out into the traffic

They sat in silence as they both thought on what the other said. The scenery of lower Karateka and Hightown blended into the middle class sector separating Lowtown from the rich up in their ivory towers.

"What where you doing in the really low Lowtown sector, any way?" Asked Rex

"Oh, my new land lady asked me to check in on her kid. He works in the church down there." she replied, looking happier.

"New land lady?" Rex asked, "You're moving?"

Laughing, she looked at Rex and replied "No silly, the DAYCARE"

"You got it!" cried Rex, looking proud and interested.

"Wha..?" said a tired voice in the backseat

Matilda shot a glare at Rex, then turned to the newly awake girl in the back seat. "I got the little building, Burny."

Now truly awake, the little girl smiled, then hopped out of the car as Rex pulled into the station.


End file.
